My name is Ria (pronounced Ree-ah) and I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago. I have been licensed there since 1997 and got my FCC Extra class license in 2001 when I emigrated to the United States. Yes, I took all exams in one sitting and got a license, including full solid copy of the 5WPM code. It's not really a big deal, as I had been licensed 3 years in 9Y before that, and took 12WPM code there.

I have always been around radio and electronics since I was 4 years old. My dad was a casual SWL, and had a friend who was into electronics. I first learned of ham radio from Mr. Tony Lee-Mack, 9Y4AL (SK) who was a local school teacher but elmered many people. He was a very interesting person, and will be dearly missed. He had a love for radio like few others did, and not just ham radio but also SWL and scanning. But he especially liked homebrew and kit building. This was the hobby's main appeal to me - its experimental nature. I could never be solely an "appliance operator." I am a tinkerer, a builder, and a hacker. He would tear out or photocopy pages from his magazines for stuff for me and others to build. Some projects were pretty interesting. Alas, cancer took him in 2014, and he is now playing sweet music in Heaven. Maybe he's sending some CW too, or listening on a scanner. Who knows?

I am a mom to 3 adorable and amazing triplets, two girls and a boy, 6 years old. I hope that they can be licensed soon. They enjoy talking on the radio with me or just sitting in the shack and listening.

I live in Wantage Township in Sussex County, New Jersey. It is about 50 miles/80km NW of New York City. The Post Office is in another town called Sussex borough which is a small "donut hole" located in the middle of Wantage Township hence the address. The town itself is semi-rural and mostly picturesque with High Point State Park bordering Montague Township visible in most of the town. Thankfully much of the development such as malls and condos have not made their way here (yet). Noise is reasonably low so I can hear a lot of things.